


And The World Fell Away

by LinkishImp (kanna37)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Mostly light-hearted discussion between Impa and Zelda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29866875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanna37/pseuds/LinkishImp
Summary: "When you first heard the Hero's voice, what was it that captured your attention in such a forceful manner?”Hyrule Warriors (Definitive Edition) conversation between Impa and Zelda - with a little romance thrown in.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 18





	And The World Fell Away

**And the World Fell Away**

~oOo~

“I never had the chance to ask this due to the attack that interrupted the moment even as it happened, highness, but I have been so curious since, and now that we've the time... When you first heard the Hero's voice, what was it that captured your attention in such a forceful manner?”

That question was not one that Zelda had necessarily expected, but she wasn't averse to explaining it to her most trusted friend, and the general of her army. Impa was the same as a much-loved older sister in her eyes, so she let her see the real Zelda, not the goddess reborn or the ruler of a kingdom.

Turning away from the other woman with a thoughtful expression, she moved slowly over to one of the windows in her study, where she'd been meeting with her general on other matters, and leaned against the side, her eyes far away and not really focusing on the scenery visible through it.

Impa just watched her quietly, letting her think.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Zelda finally spoke.

“I hate to say it,” she began, wrapping her arms around herself, “it seems so cliché, but... it really _was_ surreal. Everything around me went silent, as if it had all ceased to exist, and only he mattered, anyway. Someone could have thrown a bomb at me, and I wouldn't have noticed. Shock, I think. Or like that. I was standing there on the wall with the memory of darkness reaching for me from my nightmare, but then there _he_ was, gloriously illuminated in a prismatic scattering of light and color, and shining like the sun to guide me home. He drew me to him without even trying, and I... in that moment, I would have given everything I had just to be near him for the rest of my life. It was so much, _too_ much to take in so suddenly, and it terrified me. I wanted to panic.”

Impa nodded to herself, thinking over Zelda's words. “I see...” she trailed off. It was interesting to hear the princess describe the event in her own words. It cleared up a few of the questions she'd had, at least, which was the point, after all.

“You didn't show as much, highness. You've gotten better at hiding what you're feeling, of keeping a straight face even under duress,” she commented with an approving nod. “I would never have guessed that you were feeling so panicked.”

“That was only because Cia's army had arrived and I had no time to have a nervous breakdown. It gave me some much-needed mental space in the moment, I suppose,” the princess acknowledged quietly, glancing back over her shoulder at Impa, “though in hindsight, I would rather have dealt with the panic than the war, of course. At least then I would have been the only one left feeling as though reality had completely changed in fractions of a second. I honestly don't know how the entire world _can't_ see what I see when I look at Link, because it's so _obvious_ to me.”

Impa couldn't help it. She chuckled. The Hero had recently been having a bit of a difficult time. He couldn't leave his room in the barracks without getting accosted by practically every woman in the vicinity under thirty, so the world had certainly noticed _something_ about Link by now. _He_ would probably be very _happy_ with a nice bout of anonymity by that point, though, and she said as much.

“Yes, well, now that his identity _is_ known to everyone else, I think he would rather do a bunk and run than face any of them. I have it on the highest authority that he hates it. In fact, he personally told me he wishes he could go back in time and 'kick his own rear', as he put it. He says he should have thought ahead and worn a mask before taking up a sword and joining the fight, so no one would have known who he was. And so, it is _quite_ apparent that your Hero doesn't like the fame that goes with the name.”

Zelda snorted a laugh. “Of _course_ not – he never has. If he did, he wouldn't be the Hero. He wouldn't be _Link_.” She paused, then added slowly, “He's always had that cocky little bit of deviltry in his eyes when it came to his skills as a warrior, but as for anything else, he's one of the most self-effacing, _giving_ people I've _ever_ known.”

“You aren't just speaking of this life,” Impa stated more than asked, though the question was obvious.

Zelda turned her head and looked at her friend and mentor again for a long moment, then shook it and looked back out the window, absently running her fingers through one lock of her incredibly soft golden hair as she did. It was something that had always soothed her, from the time it had become long enough to keep her fingers busy when she was a toddler, and she discovered its silk-like smoothness for herself.

“No. Of course, it's not like I remember those other lifetimes in detail. There's almost certainly lifetimes I've no remaining memories of, at all. But I know – have remembered – enough, Cia's sanctum and everything we learned there saw to that. Oh, there's been differences in each life – his features, little mannerisms unique to each birth – that kind of thing. But Link himself, who he _is_ , that has never changed. Inside, he is the _same man_ I gave my sword to so many thousands of years ago... the same man I... _chose,”_ her voice softened, then, and Impa had to strain a little to hear it. “No matter what is still to come in lifetimes we've not yet lived, Link will always be the 'Chosen of Hylia'. _My_... chosen.”

Impa's eyes widened just a little at that. Even though they had all learned a great deal about who the young woman before her really was, and had even seen proof of some of those aforementioned lifetimes through the events that had taken place during the war with first Cia, and then Ganon, the princess herself had never once actually _acknowledged_ the truth they had all been faced with – that she was the goddess Hylia in the flesh, not just a mere descendant, reincarnate once again to defend her lands and people alongside her chosen Hero.

“You've remembered the first lifetime, then,” she murmured.

That brought a slightly melancholy chuckle from the princess.

“Which first – his, or mine?” She shook her head, then, and sighed deeply. _Everything's always so complicated, isn't it?_ “Yes, to both. At least... mostly. Again, I don't think I'll ever remember _all_ the details, or anything, but I don't really need to. I know more than enough.”

Impa had no problem believing her liege-woman – she couldn't even _imagine_ being suddenly faced with the fact that you were a goddess in mortal form, and that you and your chosen champion had lived a thousand times and more down through the long annals of history, so that each time Hyrule was marked by evil's malice, they could both defend it together.

That wasn't even counting Zelda's feelings for the Hero, because though she hadn't said it in so many words, Impa knew. She could see it in her eyes every time anyone so much as _mentioned_ Link.

_There will be a royal wedding soon to come, once the country and its people have a chance to put their lives back together. In fact, I do believe there will be a courting announcement almost immediately, because anyone with decent eyesight and a modicum of intelligence can see quite well how Link looks at her in return. He loves her just as much as she does him, I'd wager my life on it._

_So, then..._

Before Impa could respond to her thoughts and choose something to say, however, the princess spoke again, and the Sheikah chieftain found her attention diverted from what she'd been thinking, to take in what else the princess was willing to divulge to her. Zelda wasn't the type to withhold information just to seem mysterious, but she also didn't just _give_ information – or herself – away often, so when she simply offered such knowledge freely, Impa paid attention.

“It was so strange, that day, first that nightmare, and then... when I heard his voice and ran to the wall and looked over, there he was, and... it was just as though he always had been. He was golden and azure and _glowed_ with it, as if born of sunlight and sky himself. He really _is_ the light, Impa. That isn't just a pretty turn of phrase, as I thought when younger.”

She paused for a long moment, then began speaking again.

“When our eyes met, my soul shifted - and then the world just... _fell away,_ and I was caught in the middle of my entire reality suddenly and completely coming apart and then reforming around me. And as I said before, it terrified me.”

“I knew that _something_ had shaken you, though as I said, I wasn't aware how deeply. I just wasn't sure what you were reacting to in such a way at the time – whether it was good, or ill, I mean.”

“Oh, definitely good, at least for us,” Zelda laughed quietly, finally turning away from the window entirely to meet Impa's warmly knowing gaze with a blush. “Ganon, not so much.”

“At least for _you_ , you really mean.”

The princess blushed a little more as her attempt at a diversion was ignored, but stuck her nose primly in the air and denied Impa's playful accusation. “I _mean,_ for _all of us._ Considering what happened mere instants after our eyes met, I would say just in time, as well, would you not?”

“Of course, highness,” the sheikah returned with a half-bow, and Zelda stuck her tongue out at the older woman. It was a habit she'd found when Impa had become her guardian upon her parents deaths, and she still used it on occasion. (But only when they were in private.)

The aforementioned sheikah leader just chuckled, not cowed at all by her princess' fake moment of petulance.

“So you plan to court the Hero, then?” Impa posed it as a question, but it really wasn't, and they both knew it.

Zelda flushed, then looked a little hesitant, to the older woman's surprise. “I...” she began, then looked away, unable to bear the scrutiny at that moment. “Well, perhaps, if Link wishes to. But I don't know if he'll prove amenable or not. It may be that he already has feelings for someone else, or that he just doesn't see me in that way. I mean, we haven't spoken of such things before now, the war being rightfully at the forefront of everyone's attention, of course. And I'm not exactly sure how to bring the subject up with him...” her runaway words trailed off as a laugh met her ears, and she looked at Impa in confusion, not seeing anything amusing in what she'd just said. This was a serious subject!

“Oh, if we're speaking of the Hero's _interest_ , then you've got nothing to fear in that direction, as anyone that comes into contact with you two notices almost right away. Everyone can see the longing, and dare I say, love in his eyes whenever he sees you - or even just hears your name. He's taken plenty of ribbing because of all his mooning over you from most of the other knights, let me tell you.”

The princess' flush deepened even as her eyes lit up hopefully. Could Impa be right? Did Link – still – share her feelings? Obviously, in their other lives he had, and they'd had much happiness together, most especially their first lifetimes. But perhaps he no longer felt that same attachment to her, as she still so clearly did to him. She would never try to push the issue; if he had someone else, or just didn't want her, she would respect that, though it would kill her to watch him leave her behind and move on. But his happiness was the most important thing to her, and if he was happy with someone else, then she would accept that, no matter how much it hurt.

“Are you sure? I mean, it could be that he has feelings for someone else; it's not as if there aren't other women that have feelings for _him_ -” Lana's pretty features flashed before Zelda's eyes, and the hope in her heart crumbled a little. The sorceress was a beautiful, powerful woman with a good heart, and it was more than obvious she had feelings for Link – even disregarding Cia and her obsession with the Hero, and what that gave away, “-I would have to be quite arrogant to think that he would choose me over anyone else without question, you know.”

“Surely you jest,” Impa scoffed, now greatly amused. “He can barely keep his eyes from you, and he isn't very good at hiding his emotions, _trust me_. I doubt there is a person in Hyrule that doesn't know of his feelings for you by now – and believe me, there are a great many young women in Castle Town that envy you above all else for the knowing. There are also not a few men that envy _Link_ the obvious affection you feel for _him_ in return, highness.”

Zelda blinked, truthfully a little surprised by that. “What are you talking about? I've heard nothing of anyone wishing to court me.”

Her surprise deepened as Impa spoke.

“Several of the knights, and as I've heard tell, two foreign dignitaries, as well as a rather enamored court minstrel,” she rattled off without pause. Then her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I've even heard that the Chancellor's son was hoping to catch your attention. From the tales making the rounds, he especially was _quite_ disgruntled when it became obvious that it was the Hero that had your favor. He apparently stormed around for more than a few days, insisting that he would challenge Link to a duel over the matter – but funnily enough, he never actually did. That part doesn't surprise me, however – the boy is no warrior, and would stand _less_ than no chance against Link. What's more, he knows it.”

“So he has no courage and no pride, he's just a survivor type,” Zelda stated. “I see.”

“Survivor type, highness?” Impa was a little confused by how that term fit in with what they were speaking of.

“You know the kind. They cannot and will not face any sort of adversity head on, with courage – instead, they _survive_ adversity by hiding and letting others face the danger _for_ them, even duping them into it whenever possible.”

“Ah. Then yes, he is that, all right. The Chancellor despairs of the boy, but what have you?” she returned, shrugging rather callously. She wasn't very fond of the brat, anyway. He was a troublemaker. “He has chosen his path, right or wrong, and that's that. He will reap as he has sown.”

“Well, that's true enough, anyway,” Zelda chuckled, a little amused by Impa's casual disdain. “I know the Chancellor has a son, of course, but I can't put a face to the name, so to speak.”

“You aren't missing much there, either, truthfully. I really can't decide whether the boy knows he's not the most comely sort – in manner _or_ looks – or not, because he seems to have put his sights _quite_ high,” Impa sniffed disapprovingly. “I pity the poor girl his father finally manages to foist him off on. Link is _completely_ the better choice, without any question.”

“You're terrible,” the princess laughed at Impa's cheerfully disdainful appraisal. “And it's not really so surprising that you find Link the better choice; you have always had more of an appreciation for the warrior than the courtier. Considering things, that's a pretty natural prejudice, I think.”

“And one you share,” the Sheikah shot back with a knowing grin, because she was right. Zelda had always gravitated more towards the warriors herself than the courtiers. Of course, that was because, in Impa's personal opinion, anyway, the courtiers were pretty much worthless. _Toadies._ Yet more of Zelda's 'survivor type'.

A true warrior, on the other hand, had _honor._ Their word was their bond, and their oath unbreakable, the exact kind of being you wanted at your back when facing a battle – of _any_ kind.

“That's true enough,” Zelda shrugged slightly, not at all perturbed about the matter. Then her expression became hopeful and nervous again, and Impa sighed inwardly with affectionate amusement. Goddess save her from lovesick couples – she hoped _she_ never became so silly over a man as to behave like a lovelorn maiden. “So... are you truly _certain_ about Link's... interest?” she asked, manner almost laughably hesitant.

“Do you remember Irina, highness?”

The princess blinked, confused by the abrupt-seeming shift from the current discussion, then frowned. “Sir Danith's wife? Of course, but what does she have to do with our previous topic?”

“Was it not quite obvious to all around that she was mooning over Danith? Even you, highness, commented on it – how anyone could see who had her favor, and that she even seemed to have no _care_ that everyone knew. Link is exactly the same. He doesn't seem able to hide how he feels, in fact, I would venture to say he doesn't even appear to be trying to. And so, in answer to your previous question, yes, I am sure. If I'm wrong, I'll step aside as your General and give that place to the Hero.”

Well, that settled it, then. Impa was no gambler, so for her to say such a thing meant she was _absolutely certain_ she was right. Zelda trusted the other woman completely and knew she would never have steered her wrong on such a matter, so her previous hopeful nervousness settled into a warm glow of happiness, instead.

“Then I must think on this, decide how to approach him on the matter,” Zelda said with a rather decisive nod, now that her doubts had been alleviated.

But before she could say anything else, Impa grinned. “Well who knows, highness? Link might surprise you, and bring this matter up with you himself. Anything is possible, after all.”

“If he hasn't to this point, can I really afford to wait on the off-chance he will?” the princess mused.

Impa stood just as a knock came at the door, and with a raised brow at her liege, opened it as soon as Zelda nodded. The general's grin only deepened when she saw who it was, and she winked over her shoulder at the now-blushing woman behind her.

“Perhaps you won't need to, highness,” was all she said, though, before walking off with a jaunty wave at the confused-seeming hero's salute.

 _Off-chance,_ she snorted as she strode off. _Ridiculous. I bet they'll be courting before he leaves her office today. _

Impa seriously began re-considering her usual disdain for small-time wagering when she was proven right yet again, as the evening came with a joyfully glowing Zelda announcing that she and the (blushing) hero were officially courting.

_fin_


End file.
